Strong measures to reduce deaths and serious injuries – including targeting dangerous road behaviour – headline South Australia’s Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025 as the Malinauskas Government responds to a tragic start to the year on our roads.
The Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025 is informed by consultation and feedback received during the development of South Australia’s Road Safety Strategy to 2031 and implements state actions under the National Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025.
Over the past decade, South Australia has improved road safety outcomes. However, 11 lives lost in January exceeded the monthly average.
The Action Plan identifies measures that will contribute to a target of at least a 50% reduction in lives lost and a 30% reduction in serious injuries on South Australian roads by 2031.
Poor driving behaviours, including drink and drug driving, speeding, distraction and incorrect use of seatbelts in addition to dangerous road users, will be targeted. A combination of approaches including enforcement, education and public awareness can address dangerous driving behaviours.
South Australia’s Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025 adopts the ‘Safe System’ approach to improve our roads and encourage the uptake of safer vehicles and safe road user behaviour, particularly on regional roads.
The Action Plan will enable a focus on network safety planning that prioritises road safety infrastructure improvements and reduces risk to road users.
This includes the $150 million Adelaide Hills productivity and safety package which will deliver better road safety infrastructure in the region.
The State Government endorses a national vision of zero lives lost and serious injuries by 2050, recognising the life-long impacts of road deaths and serious injuries.
Road safety infrastructure and other measures for safer school precincts underscore the State Government’s focus on improving safety around schools.
Improved outcomes for Aboriginal road users are also a focus, including better data collection and exploring opportunities to expand the successful On the Right Track (licensing) program.
A progress report will be published annually with ten focus areas:
- Schools and local places
- Public transport, cycling and walking
- Motorcyclists
- Aboriginal road users
- Road user behaviour
- Road safety in the workplace
- Regional and remote areas
- Heavy vehicles
- Vehicles and technology
- Research and data.
Last week, safety ratings for almost 400 vehicles manufactured from the year 2000 onwards were released as part of the South Australian government’s bid to help motorists make safer vehicle choices.
The Department for Infrastructure and Transport, together with the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) released the latest used car safety information to help people choose the safest vehicle for their budget.
The Department’s commitment to continuing to encourage motorists to explore safer vehicles forms part of South Australia’s Road Safety Action Plan 2023-25.
As a guide to help used car buyers prioritise safety, the Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) lists 389 models by market segment and their safety rating, based on police-reported crash analysis of more than 9 million vehicles across Australia and New Zealand.
Please visit www.thinkroadsafety.sa.gov.au to view South Australia’s Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025 and South Australia’s Road Safety Strategy to 2031.
Quotes
Attributable to Joe Szakacs
The Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025 is integral to the State Government’s aim of reducing deaths and serious injuries on South Australian roads.
This Action Plan will further protect vulnerable road users including those around our schools.
The impacts of road trauma are significant for families, friends, workmates, first responders and the community.
The Action Plan provides strong accountability through safety performance indicators and annual reporting to make sure that what we are doing is working to reduce deaths and serious injuries as a result of road trauma.
We can achieve positive change by working together and creating a safer road environment for all users.
By working together, we can achieve positive change and create a safer road environment, which protects South Australia’s road users, including our most vulnerable road users.
Attributable to Chair of Road User Safety Advisory Committee Jim Plouffe
The Action Plan reflects evidence-based, safe system practices to protect our community. These practices are globally recognised ways to reduce the road toll and include making safer roads, promoting safer vehicles and educating safer drivers.
No death or serious injury on our roads is acceptable or inevitable, and all South Australians must work together to address the trauma caused by the everyday use of our road network.
The Action Plan is a straightforward, easy-to-understand list of practical actions that will help reduce lives lost and serious injuries on South Australian roads, but it will take all of us thinking about road safety to achieve the ultimate goal of zero lives lost on our roads.
Attributable to RAA Senior Manager Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain
RAA welcomes the release of a Road Safety Action plan to help address the tragic start to the year on South Australian roads.
The range of actions in the plan is essential, as no single action will deliver the sustained reduction necessary to achieve the State’s road safety targets on its own.
RAA looks forward to seeing the plan’s actions implemented as soon as possible, and critically the annual progress reports to identify where more focus is required.
In particular RAA looks forward to seeing where progress is being made on improving the regional road network, to ensure more of the state’s regional highways achieve the minimum AusRAP star rating of three stars.
